"I shouldn't have even agreed to come with you today. Not after last night Harry." I shake my head as I stare out of the taxi window.

"I didn't do anything." He protests.

"You're going to have to stop acting like such an idiot when Charlie comes round." I sigh, smoothing down the front of my dress. "He's my friend and I'd like it if you'd stop acting like a massive jerk when he's there. He's starting to think that there is something wrong with you."

"He likes you." Harry mutters sulkily, glaring out of the window.

"As a friend-"

"More than that."

"No he doesn't!" I roll my eyes. "And even if he did, which he doesn't, I've got a big goofball called Harry-."

"But you kissed him." He interrupts,

"Whaa?" My mouth falls open. How could Harry possibly know about my one-of drunken kiss with Charlie? "How do you know that?"

"He told me." Harry rubs his fingers across his jaw as he pouts. I'm confused.
Why would Charlie tell Harry that?

"It was years ago! Me and Charlie are just friends."

There's a pause and when Harry seems absorbed in the countryside outside the window I lean back, glad the conversation is over. Several minutes pass before Harry speaks in a petty whisper, without even looking at me;

"Friends who kiss each other."

***

Since I found out that the BBQ was arranged by the Dream Factory for volunteers and their partners only, and Dr P won't be there, I've been much more relaxed about the whole thing. We'll be staying overnight and as we pull up to the huge country house I feel even more intrigued. In about 5 minutes me and Harry will be meeting more embryos and I'm so curious to see what they will be like.

I mean, Juan was a bit crazy, but surely other people won't have chosen such cheesy stereotypes?

Harry does his usual cute thing of rushing round to open the taxi door for me and hold out his hand to lead me out.

I'm so glad he made me wear a dress, something tells me that it's going to be more fancy than I first thought. After paying the driver we begin to walk up to the house only to be intercepted by a tall, handsome man in a uniform. He takes our bags and tells us to go round to the garden. Harry pulls my hand into his and leads the way.

We're about halfway round when we almost trip over two figures, laid across the pathway, kissing passionately.

"Ah. Juan. Nice to see you again." Harry says politely.

Juan doesn't seem to notice us as he lets out a frankly pornagraphic moan. I can just see Marcia's flushed face beneath his.

"We got caught in traffic on the way over. The roads were terrible... You know what it's like at rush hour." Harry goes on. "But we're here now-"

"Marcia, my heart, my soul.. Te amo my queen." Juan growls passionately before slamming his lips back down with such force against Marcia's I'm surprised he hasn't knocked her teeth out.

"Sooo. Lovely weather we're having-"

"Are you looking at my woman?" Juan growls suddenly, glaring up at Harry.

Oh ffs. Not this again.

Before Harry can reply I pull him round them and we jog towards the garden with Juans refrains of 'come back and fight me like a man' echoing behind us.

There are five other couples in the garden and they fall silent when Harry and I enter. It's awkward af and after standing there for a while with everyone's eyes on us, Harry gives a little wave, clutches my hand tighter and leads us in to the middle of the garden, towards the food.

The conversation slowly picks up as we walk forwards and once everyone has stopped staring I turn to Harry.

"Hey, I wonder who is from the Dream Factory and who is a volunteer?"

"Oh that's easy." A voice says next to me. A curvy, smiling girl with hair that reaches her waist grins at me. "All of the males are Dream Factory products. The male volunteers with female embryos are on a completely separate program."

"Oh I see." I smile warmly at her, glad to have found someone normal after the whole Juan/Marcia scene. "I'm Hendrix by the way. And this is Harry."

"Great to meet you. I'm Grace." She smiles and I'm curious who her partner is. There's a hippy guy meditating in a corner of the garden and I'm hedging my bets on him.

"Did I tell you that you could leave?" A silky voice comes from behind me and I spin round to find a gorgeous man in an expensive looking suit. He's looking past me at Grace.

"Oh! Liam!" She flushes. "This is Hendrix and her partner Harry."

"I'm not finished with you." Liam mutters to her, then turns to us with a smile. "It's wonderful to meet you. Perhaps I can interest you in a drink?"

"I got a fifty shades of grey kink." Grace shrugs quietly to me as Liam walks to the bar to grab a bottle of wine. "He's nothing at all like Christian Grey really, but ya know, I wanted the whole dude in a suit with a real domination streak. He can lie too. Any time he wants."

"What? I thought they were programmed to not be able too when you ask them a question-"

"Yeah but I spotted that in the small print and insisted they take it out... When I ask him if my ass looks fat I don't want an honest answer." She smirks.

We chat for a while before Liam narrows his eyes at her and gestures towards the house with a swift movement of his head. Grace giggles and puts her glass down, running up to the house as he marches purposefully behind her, loosing his tie.

Harry is in a deep conversation with the hippy embryo about trees.

His name is Niall and he has hip length hair and isn't wearing a shirt or shoes. In fact, his only item of clothing is a pair of hugely baggy tye-dye trousers.

Niall's partner is an oddly serious looking girl called Abby and I haven't got round to speaking to her yet to find out why she chose a him for her partner.

I wander round. There's a tiny girl with tight blonde curls and braces who is trying to get her guy to come out of the shade.

"Come onnnn Roberttt!"

"I can't." He says. "You should leave me here. I don't want to hurt you." He pouts his lips sullenly. "It can do you no good to be with me, Susan."

She grabs his hand and pulls him into the sunlight. Immediately his skin begins to glisten, as though he's covered in glitter. He pulls away from her and slinks back to the shadows.

"I can't be what you want me to be." He whispers, staring up at the sky dramatically.

Twilight? I mouth to the exasperated Susan. She rolls her eyes and nods.

I watch as another boy, who seems to be called Zayn, smokes endless cigarettes and glares round at us all, his face only softening to an utterly cringy level of sappiness when a bossy girl called Kathy is near him.

It's the other couple that really have my attention though. She is a dreamy looking girl in baggy clothes and large glasses, while he is dressed in a completely ridiculous tutor outfit with white tights and puffy little shorts.

"Fair maiden! Where dost thou go without I, your true heart, your only love...? Take me with you, for I shall die without your beauty to gaze upon!"

"Come on Louis." She smiles, gesturing. He adjusts his velvet hat then trots along behind her, staring at her in adoration.

Weird. All of them.

I try and imagine how I would have designed Harry and I'm so glad I didn't, I'm so glad he's just him, defaults and all.

I sigh as I look round at them all.

Juan the mills and boon star.

Robert the vampire.

Liam the 50 shades knock off.

Niall the far out hippy.

Zayn the bad boy.

Louis straight from the pages of Romeo and Juliet.

The Dream Factory allows some pretty weird fantasies to come to life alright.

***

AN- Hope you liked the chapter 🙈

So apart from Harry... I'm dying to know who your favourite Dream Factory creation is? Which one?

Which couple would you like to see again?

I will try and update tomorrow but I have things coming up so it may be a few days before I get chance. 😢

Dedicated to @spookysponge for making me laugh with all of her comments x